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New Job Opportunity: Mississippi Delta Fellow

The Delta Directions Consortium is accepting applications for the 2015 Delta Fellowship through February 15, 2016!

The Delta Directions Consortium is an interdisciplinary group of individuals from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and foundations working towards change in the Mississippi Delta. Delta Directions believes that potential for progress and change in the Delta is so multifaceted and complex that its growth requires contributions from diverse professions, disciplines, and institutions. The Delta Directions Consortium exists at the intersection of research and practice, providing a united front for coordinated and collaborative efforts for change within the region.

The Delta Fellow works both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary group to create transformational change in the Mississippi Delta region by improving public health and promoting economic development. The Delta Fellow’s work focuses on addressing this goal through pursing changes and improvement in a variety of fields, most specifically health, food systems, and economic development.

The Fellow’s principal responsibilities include: coordinating Delta Directions Consortium members with each other and with other institutions; providing human capital and support to local community-based organizations and projects; researching, drafting, and editing comprehensive reports on selected issue areas; planning and supervising research projects and programs for Harvard Law students and students from local universities interested in working on health and economic development in the Delta; increasing communication and engagement with Delta Directions by maintaining updated content on the Delta Directions website and hosting periodic Delta Directions conferences; and developing, evaluating, and promoting supportive public policy within the Delta.

The Delta Fellowship is an expected two-year commitment, subject to change or termination only in unusual circumstances. The Fellow is also expected to spend the first six months of the fellowship in residence at the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University in Starkville. This will enable the Fellow to become acquainted with the researchers and their activities at SSRC, and will give the Fellow the opportunity to present his/her work in an academic setting. The Fellow will be based in Clarksdale, Mississippi (in the Mississippi Delta) for the remainder of the fellowship, with routine visits to the Social Science Research Center for various projects.